>> re-election looks quite probable, to the point where the mayor of newark, seen as his principal opponent, has decided to look in other venues to pursue his own political future. he record the highest favorable job rating ever found in any governor of new jersey in its history after his handling of sandy. >> that that natural disaster and the reaction of governor christie and the reaching out to the president -- did that help president obama? >> it certainly did. i do not think it was decisive. if the election had been held a week earlier, you look at the polls on that day, but it was a lot closer. i think obama would have won, but it would not have been an electoral landslide. i think his 2.8% advantage in the popular vote probably would have been a point less. it is remarkable -- in the exit poll, people asked how important obama's handling of sandy was -- 9% said it was the most important issue. 18% said it was one of the most important issues. a very high number. if you look at the trajectory of the polls, it clearly had an effect, but i do not think it was a decisive effect. i think